A Propane Powered Ford F-150

By David Thomas
on April 13, 2007

Roush, known for its custom Mustangs, debuted the first dedicated propane-powered F-150 pickup today. The company says it has the same horsepower and torque of a gasoline-powered F-150 with a 5.4-liter V-8 engine: 300 hp and 365 pounds-feet of torque.

The car features a 20-gallon propane tank mounted where the spare tire would normally reside, under the bed. An additional gasoline tank can be added. The range of a full propane tank is 250 miles, roughly 12.5 mpg of propane. The average price for a gallon of propane as of yesterday was $2.05, according to the Energy Information Administration, a government agency.

Before you rush off to order one of the Roush F-150s at a premium of $6,500 over the base MSRP, you should know that most of the 10,000 propane refueling centers in the country are for commercial use. Roush admits it expects most sales to go to businesses that already have their own propane fueling stations on site.

Propane is used in other motor vehicle applications and powers some 450,000 forklifts as well. It’s a byproduct of natural gas processing and the refinement of gasoline, and it burns cleaner with less emissions than gas.

Roush says it’s taking orders now for the propane F-150, which can be ordered in regular cab, SuperCab and SuperCrew styles, with XL or XLT trim and the full range of bed lengths through select Ford dealers.

For more information, check out Roush’s website and let us know what you think of propane as a viable alternative fuel.